The present invention relates to processors, and more specifically, to registers in processors.
A processor register (register) is a storage device that may be used to store numeric values in an array. The numeric values are stored as bits in the register. Registers are usually classified by the size of the register such that an 8-bit register may store up to eight bits and a 32-bit register may store up to 32 bits. Many processing tasks include storing data in registers and manipulating the data in the registers. Typically, data is stored in a register by a processor that writes and reads bits into or from the register. Two common processing tasks that are often performed using registers include counting and shifting bits.
Count registers and shift registers may be used for a variety of processing tasks. For example, pattern recognition tasks that are frequently used for virus and malware detection in computing systems often use count registers and shift registers.